When I receiv.
d a Letter, a few Days ago
of
14th
ulto, from my dear
M,r C. Jeffry Smith, in‐
‐forming me of your juſt complaint for not haveing
received my Receipt of the Books sent to
my
School through his Hands, I was indeed aſhamed
& affected
with such a Neglect of mine, & can only plead, what
I am obliged often to plead, as excuſe for Neglect, and
that too, in caſes of Importance, viz My Want of
Time for it, 'till it had slip'd my Mind — The Books
came safe, and a choice Present I eſteem them — I
have to the beſt of my Ability diſpoſed of a Number
of them, among the Indians of Several Tribes, &
to such as I judged your Charity would point out —
The reſt are waiting for such Occaſions, & they shall,
you may depend upon it, my dear Sir, by God's help,
be
faithfully diſposed of according to my Diſcretion,
for the pious Purpose
s for which you deſigned them.
And God grant you may meet Numbers of thoſe
poor Savages, on the bliſsful Shore, by whom you
may hear the Mention of your Charity, as the Means
under God of preparing them for, & bringing them there
In addition to my ordinary Work in the Miniſtry,
The care of
my School,
preparing, planning for,
supplying & sending Miſsionaries, &
School Maſters,
into the Wilderneſs, diſposing, & directing their
reſpective Services &c God has of his abundant Grace
been pleaſed to grant another special & sweet Season
of the Outpouring of a Spirit of Conviction, &
Converſion upon my people.
It began laſt October in a Small Neighbourhood,
firſt occasioned by the Death of a pious Youth
^[below]Rev,d
Mr
M,cCullock^
^[left](Copy)^
who was hopefully converted in a like Seaſon of God's,
about
[illegible]5 years ago; while
he was a Member of
my School —
this
Concern soon spread thro' the Pariſh; but has been
allmoſt wholly confin'd to the youths. Their Terrors in
general have been nothing like so great, as
they have been
in several former Seasons of Awakning; & particularly
that about 27 Years ago: yet appeard genuine; & I truſt
in many Inſtances effectual, and the Fruits exceeding
good. And by the Mercy of God, the
whole has been con‐
ducted with such Decency &
Diſcretion, that even the
Accuſer of the Brethren has not been able, that I have
ever heard of, to find so
much as a plauſible objection
againſt, either the
[illegible][guess: [whole]]work itſelf, or the Subjects, or In‐
‐ſtruments of it — There seems at preſent to be an Abate‐
‐ment of it, but peace &
oneſs of Heart is yet to a happy
Degree our Character. God grant we may not, as
we have
heretofore repeatedly done, under such a Mercy, neglect
our Watch, & indulge to Sleepineſs, & Security. There are
about 50. in this Seaſon, who, in a Judgment of rational
Charity, are become Subjects of a Saving
Work of God's
Grace. About the same Number were hopefully added to
the Lord in
the afore
ſaidmentioned Season about 5 years
ago: there is of late a Begining of it in Several Neigh‐
‐bouring Pariſhes — and it is at preſent very great in
a Town call'd
Canaan in the northweſt Corner of
this Colony, under the Ministry of the
Revd
Mr Farrand,
about 70 or 80 Miles from me
,. there is alſo
conſiderable
appearance of it in
Middletown,
about 40 miles from me,
but the Progreſs of it there, it is to be feared, will be ob‐
ſtructed, & many perverted by wild &
enthusiaſtical
people called
Separates in thoſe parts.
The Work of God among the Indians at
Onoida has
been indeed Wonderful. The Town called
Kanawarohare
under
Mr Kirtland, are become a people near to God,
a Chh. has been lately gathered there, the Number
firſt
imbodied was 17, & about 8 or 10, more were eſ
teemed qualified, who were by the Providence of God
prevented joining with them at
that Time, but
expected to have the opportunity very soon — of this
Number
were many, if not moſt of their wiſe
men (as they call their Councellors)
In this affair there has been from firſt
'till
now, great opposition from Earth & Hell—
Frequent Reflections between the Tribes themſelves
— & between them & the Engliſh — The bad con‐
duct of Traders & unrighteous Dealers with them,
— Several large, & long congreſses in which they
have sold large Tracts of their Lands to the Engliſh;
& after that been rendered uncapable of doing
or getting Good, so long as their Money laſted
&c
they able to buy Rum at any rate — By this
Means several of
their Tribes are much diminiſh
‐ed — Some periſhing in their Drunkeneſs —
frequent Murders committed among them —
their Children periſhing
thro' Neglect — & their
Tribes in a continual Ferment for Months
together, as tho' Hell had broke looſe. —
But after all My Hope is in God, who has ma‐
nifeſted the Riches of his Grace towards y
e
Onoidas,
that we shall yet see Numbers of the poor tau‐
‐ney Wretches flocking to Chriſt; & that the
Grace of God towards theſe, who were but a little
while ago like their Brethren; will prove but
an
an Earneſt, &
firſt Fruit, of a Glorious Harveſt to X,
through the Wilds of
America —
I doubt not your fervent Prayers & the united Cries of
thouſands in
Scotland, are daily aſsending to the God
of all Grace for the Succeſs of every attempt agreable
to his Word & Will, in this great Affair —
Pleaſe, my dear ſir, when you are neareſt, &
warmeſt
at the Throne of Grace, to remember in particular, him
who, though now
unknown, hopes soon to reſt with you,
where the wicked shall ceaſe from troubling, & where Savage
Brutiſhenſs, & indian Ingratitude shall vex no more.
pleaſe to accept my tender of much brotherly Affecti
‐on to
you — & permit me to subſcribe
myſelf